Boy Scout Campfires
Barry Runnels (barry_c_runnels@MMACMAIL.JCCBI.GOV)
Mon, 26 Jan 1998 09:31:37 -0600
>Okay, gang. It is official: I will be the camefire ring leader etc for
>the Spring Camporee. I need ideas that will "have them swinging from the
>trees" as the Camporee Chairman told me.
Hi Melissa
You have the best job on the committee. There is nothing like a great
campfire!
Remember your audience. These are Scouts between the ages of 11 to 18.
Their since of humor and pick of songs is much different from adults. The
best Camporee campfires come from the boys. Find some mature experienced
Scouts for the Master of Ceremonies who have done this before and enjoy it.
They know what boys like. Your job is to work with them to make sure they
include everything that is appropriate for that campfire. At our last
camporee campfire, none of the committee chairman were recognized for a job
well done. Nobody on the campfire remembered to do it and some feelings
where hurt. Do it in a fun way, pick some fun jokes about the committee
that keeps the boys interest and yet honors the guys in the committee.
Songs can change the mood of a campfire real fast. Songs in the first two
thirds of the campfire have to be fun and up beat, yet the taste for adults
is different than the boys, find the songs the boys think are fun and up
beat. As the campfire is starting to whin down, that is when you bring in
more serious slower songs. The song leader should of course be a BOY Scout.
Get some good fun cheers. Your giving out awards, so the Scouts should be
cheering the winners. The cheers should be loud and fun. They should be in
the spirit of what the whole weekend was all about. No put down cheers like
the Yucca Tree cheer.
Keep the campfire in the theme of the weekend and remember it is for the
boys. The worst camporee campfire I ever saw had the boys wanting to leave
half way through it because one Troop thought it was a great time to hand
out Wood Badge beads to a couple of leaders. I know many here think that
this is a great place for Boys to see leader receive awards but you will
find 90% of the Scouts don't know what Wood Badge is and really don't care.
If the units boys are proud of that adult, have a great unit ceremony
later. Also this is the boys weekend and awards like this take way from the
campfire theme. Keep the Boys focused and the Weekend for them and KEEP IT
FUN, FUN, FUN.
The best campfires flow without disruption. I try to get campfire leaders
to know what is coming so they aren't surprised by distasteful skits or
jokes. Also they need to know a few jokes of riddles for the long pauses
between skits. That is a great time for walk-ons from the campfire leaders.
The campfire leaders should be having as much if not more fun than all the
other boys.
Also lately I have notice the popularity of adults getting to the campfire
early to get a choice spot with their lawn chair then the boys have to work
around all these leaders so they can see. Plan ahead for this. Either find
an adult area that won't interfere with the Scouts or better yet, advise
each Troop that the adults are the last to sit and it must be behind the
audience of the Scouts.
Campfires are the best. They end a great day with a great evening of fun or
in some cases end a bad day with a fun evening. The boys should go back to
camp excited and maybe humming a song to themselves. Most great campfires
like this should last around and hour with all the skits songs and award
presentations. If your campfire committee is prepared, they will keep
everything moving all the time and the boys will not enterupt for fear of
missing something fun.
I envy your position because it is the most fun. But don't tell the
committee that because they will give you other jobs. Make sure your
committee of boys do a lot of the work because that builds Character. You
just encourage them so they do a good job. Try to keep it fun for them.
I love this Scouting Stuff.
Barry Runnels
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
